When The Future Sees The Past
by SnowFlakes and Foxes
Summary: A chance encounter in the year 2804 changes everything for Eve; including who she falls in love with. The Axiom will find itself on a new path, and the autopilot will, ever so slowly, learn that there is more to his existence than his directive. Rated for strong language.


**Author's Note:**** I would like to ask for forgiveness although I'm certain I do not deserve it. As many of you know, I've written half this story and have happily posted it. However, the quality has been rather awful and littered with mistakes. This is just one problem – the rest is due to real life – the loss of a job, my home, and even my mind. I do not exaggerate, and the only reason I would admit such things is because you – the reader – deserve some sort of explanation. **

**I have unfortunately discovered that somewhere down the line, I lost all my plans for this story. That is not good obviously, and it has left me with one of two options. 1) Discontinue the story – I think this is the worst of the two options. 2) Start all over. Yes, that is a frustrating thing, especially for me. Without my plans I have no way to finish the things I have set out in this story – I'm forced to rewrite. Please re-read everything I post. Scenes will change and the plot will be altered slightly. The general idea will stay the same. Eevee will still be a smart mouth, Eve and Auto will still find love, and you can bet the Luna Night and the Northern Orca will still make an appearance! No characters are going to disappear I promise! **

**So please, bear with me – I know this is really messed up. Again, I must ask for you forgiveness.**

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**Chapter One **

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**Exploration of Earth **

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A deep rumbling vibrates through the air, shaking the ground as hot streaming fire ignites to push the massive Axiom Return Vehicle off the dusty rock covered ground. Bright blue LED eyes watch as the magnificent white probe ship ascends high into the sky leaving three distinct smoke trails in its wake –each coming from one the three engines that are pushing the spacecraft upwards against the Earth's gravity. It's an amazing sight, one that robot left behind by the ship has never stopped to watch before.

Eve is an abnormal sight here; her white body is egg shaped with free floating arms and pliable humanoid hands that allow her to investigate her surroundings with touch. Two striking blue LED eyes are depicted on a delicate black screen that is located on the robot's oval head – her gaze, although electronic, has many different expressions that clearly articulate what she is thinking. Yes, Eve is a very strange sight indeed, at least, on Earth she is. The planet has been abandoned for over seven hundred years – all organic life has either perished or fled to the safety of the massive starships that now sustain Earth's generous population. The ruins of the past inhabitants who used to live here are now crumbling – looking dirty and broken from the lack of care they haven't received throughout the centuries. Eve, unlike her surroundings, she is clean, futuristic, and is designed to look slightly feminine.

Eve is one of the many Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluators, or "EVE Probes", for short, that are sent to Earth annually for scouting missions in an effort to find living vegetation. It's a directive she, and her many identical sisters have taken very seriously, but after nearly seven hundred years of unsuccessful trips, Eve is starting to get extremely annoyed. Sure, she would always start her missions with a determined attitude – her and her sisters would always say, "This year is the year we will bring everyone home!" but these dreams never seem to become a reality. It frustrated her to no end, and by the end of her missions she often found herself extremely pissed off, and not just her, her sisters as well. Robots, by nature, do not like to fail when it comes to their directive, and that's exactly what she considers returning to her assigned starship without a plant to be – a failure. It was just another wasted trip, filled with wasted effort, wasted energy, and wasted time. Of course, for an EVE Probe, wasted time is not much of an issue. If anything, the trips to Earth are a reprieve from the unkind looks and negatively whispered comments from fellow robots – they, unlike the EVE Probe, did not have spare time. Their directives kept them busy – the humans that they served only became more dependent and demanding of them through the years, which has led to a widening gap in the work load between the public service robots and the EVE Probes. It was looked upon as unfair, and those who usually deem things unfair will often find themselves acting out immaturely. Robots, in this sense, are very humanistic in this regard, and Eve, unfortunately, is no exception when it comes to retaliation.

She has, on many occasions, found herself down in the security office of her designated starship, the Axiom. It is there that she has been forced to listen to many hour long lectures about rules, regulation, and protocol concerning the use of firearms on board a luxury starliner. To say the least, it's an irritating affair, and Go-4, despite his tiny size, can definitely get his point across in a very intimidating way – but Eve – well – she's just too frustratingly stubborn to ignore the many sideways comments that have been sent her way through the years. So naturally, Eve finds herself teaching the sarcastic service robots a lesson in keeping their mouths shut by popping them in the butt with a low powered blast from her quasar ion cannon, which in turn, gets her sent to the security office for, yet, another tongue lashing.

Eve lets out a disconcerted huff as she thinks about all the times she has had to hear Go-4 fuss at her. It's not like she has actually 'hurt' those she has shot at – sure, the impact of a plasma blast to the butt is rather painful, but a low dose of a reality check isn't going to actually kill anybody. The most she has ever done is leave a few dents in one very smart mouthed VAQ-M. Perhaps that is why she has been lucky thus far from being called to the bridge of the Axiom for further reprimand. That, in all honesty, is the last place that any robot ever wants to be summoned too.

Auto is a robot you don't mess with – everyone knows it too – including the human passengers. There have been several instances where robots have been called to the bridge – usually those who have gained rouge status for one reason or another – and never returned. Everyone is left to wonder what exactly has happened to them, but Eve is no fool. She knows that they were stripped of their directive and ultimately terminated. This knowledge is the source of many nightmares for most robots, herself included. To be called to the bridge of the Axiom usually means you're about to be decommissioned – that alone, is the scariest and most devastating punishment any robot can receive. It's basically a death sentence, and Auto is the executioner.

A shiver runs through Eve's core. This is a dangerous train of thought. She personally didn't like to think of Auto so negatively – yes, he scared her a lot, and yes, she never wanted to be summoned by him over something she has done wrong; however, she really doesn't hate him, in fact, her feelings for him were kind of the opposite. It had all started the very day she was activated – she was extremely naïve – as most newly awakened robots are, and it was that inexperience that had put her in a very inappropriate situation with the autopilot. Eve had personally found the kiss they shared amazingly electrifying, and no other robot's current had been able to make her feel as wonderful as his. Auto himself hadn't made any outward reaction to the kiss they shared other than to jerk back after contact. She was certain he had been just as surprised as her by what happened, no doubt, but unlike her, he hadn't appeared affected by the kiss.

Eve lets out a distraught sigh. She has always wished these feelings would leave her be – it's not like anything will ever become of them. Auto is untouchable – the god of the Axiom – some would say. Eve doubted that he has even thought of her since that day, and rightfully so. What could such a powerful and respectable robot see in her? Absolutely nothing. If he ever thought anything at all, it's probably that the EVE Probes in general are the bane of his existence. After all, it is their failure to locate a living plant specimen that keeps them all in the sky.

Eve lets out another loud distraught sigh as she turns to look around the recently discarded landing area – her mood is rather crappy now due to her recent train of thought; however, she isn't going to let it keep her from her directive any longer than it already has. Eve quickly glances at the glowing molten rocks that have become soft from the extreme heat produced by the ARV's powerful engines. She knows that the odds of a plant growing here are slim to none; even if the ARV's powerful thrust hadn't burned everything in the vicinity up; the area itself is still to open for precious seeds to grow into noteworthy plants. The harsh winds that kick up the extreme sandstorms in the area would pelt the poor seedlings until they wilted, of course, this didn't really matter to her. Eve's current objective wasn't to find a plant at the moment, but rather, to test out her vegetation scanner equipment instead. It had malfunctioned on her last year, forcing her to retire early from her search. The robots in the repair ward had insisted that it was correctly repaired, but Eve wouldn't be satisfied until she tested in the field.

Eve begins to focus on the task at hand. She activates her scanner, a soft electric blue LED light coming from her upper left chest cavity, illuminating a ten by ten foot square area of ground nearby. She processes everything that the light touches, a couple of soft beeps emanating from the scanner as she does so, before a louder harsher beep sounds out, concluding that nothing of plant origin has been found. Eve is satisfied with the results of the test. She then turns to look up at the sky, knowing that it's finally time to head out and search of a real plant specimen.

Eve twirls elegantly just above the ground, giving the little engines located at the base of her egg shaped body time to warm up before darting up towards the brown clouds of the sky. She giggles jovially as she ascends, loving the feeling of the cool wind brushing up against her metallic body. This is one of the few things that she actually does like about the Earth, the ability to perform unrestrained fast paced flight, not something she can do at home on the Axiom. The EVE Probe is built to hustle, able to reach mach speeds in seconds and is well known to have the ability to break the sound barrier during standard flight. Eve thinks it's a lot of fun to fly recklessly when she's out in the open like this and truthfully, it's something that she wishes she could do more often.

Now nearly a mile in the sky, Eve comes to a slow stop just below the thick brown clouds that make up the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere. The normally thick haze that fills the air seems thinner now than in previous years, allowing her to see the snowcapped mountains that lay just on the other side of the nameless abandoned city. There is also fresh snow that clings to the peaks of the mountains; it looks clean and white, seeming to have lost a lot of the yellowish tint that used to stain it. Feeling a little more intrigued, Eve finds herself flying down towards the harbor, inspecting it for any changes that might have happened over the last year. She is also mildly surprised to discover that the water appears more emerald than muddy brown, like the bottom has been covered with something dark and greenish. What is it? Could it be seaweed? Is the ocean starting to heal? Does this mean that the Earth is finally righting itself?

Eve suddenly feels giddy, she can't help it; the idea of the Earth rejuvenating makes her circuits spark with joy. It meant that she might actually be successful with her directive this year. The thought had her riveted.

Looking off towards the North, where the nameless city sits off in the distance, Eve thinks that she might try her luck there this year. She has, for the most part, been searching for a plant outside of the city limits, knowing that traditionally that's where plants would usually flourish; however, something is now calling her towards the urban landscape. Perhaps it is the spirit of the Earth guiding here? She giggles, thinking of how utterly ridiculous that sounded, but she figured that searching a metropolitan area wasn't actually a bad idea. Eve zooms quickly towards the city.

As she approaches the ruins of the once great metropolis, she decides to take a small detour through one of the many abandoned suburbs that border the congested inner city. The first neighborhood that she comes to is rather worn down; the homes themselves appearing to have been built in the mid to late 1900's, which made her a little nervous with the prospect of searching inside of one. It wouldn't be good if one of the buildings suddenly fell on her while she was taking a look around. Would the ARV even be able to retrieve her from this cluttered location if she got trapped? She decides to look elsewhere for safety reasons.

Moving into the newer parts of the suburbs, Eve is able to locate another neighborhood that has homes that are in much better condition. She can tell from a quick glance that most of these houses still have relatively good foundations along with minimal aging to the actual physical structure of the building. These homes were undoubtedly built with the new age materials that were invented by a human man that was from the Russian Territory of the BNL Nation. The man had been a chemist with an exceptionally bright mind and he was able to figure out how to create a type of sturdy material that is both resistant to weather ageing and insects. It was quickly patented and used in the construction of all new buildings from sheds to skyscrapers.

The particular home that Eve decides to enter is Victorian in style, with faded pink paint that is starting to chip all around the edges. The dirt yard is rather clear of trash which is unusual for this area, the incinerators and Wall-E bots hadn't made it to this section of the city before they were shut down. There are also several sections of bordered ground near the house's foundation that are covered with small white rocks where flowers used to grow for decoration. Eve scans the rock beds wondering if maybe the seeds from previous plants might have taken root, yet two soft beeps followed by the familiar negative told her otherwise. She moves on, following a small pebble path that takes her up to a large wooden porch that sits at the front of the house. There is nothing left in the actual entryway, all the furniture has been stored away in the garage to prevent theft while the owners were away on their vacation.

Eve approaches the front door of the home, discovering that it is slightly ajar which makes her very curious. All of the homes that she has ever visited have always been locked up tight. She examines the door more closely, noticing that the lock looks busted, almost like someone had forced their way in. Eve enters the home nosily, noticing right away that the interior has been vandalized; with all of the cabinets and drawers having been pulled open, their contents thrown carelessly on the floor. There was even some furniture that has been overturned. It almost looks like the scene from some sort of burglary. The whole scene is rather disturbing to Eve, and it unfortunately causes her to recall something that she hates to think about. It was an incident that had happened in the middle of the third year after the Axiom had left Earth on its exodus voyage. By this time, the Axiom had lost a lot of its luster to the human passengers and their true personalities started to emerge which Eve discovered first hand not to always be a good thing.

It all started late one evening on the lower decks of the Axiom, where the coach passengers of the ship resided. Eve had been visiting one of the private living areas, room 91017, where a young human child by the name of Maddie lived. The girl was rather cute by human standards – a little cubby, with dark curls that are tied back into a high ponytail with a silk ribbon. She often liked to wear pink dresses with matching shoes and stockings, and that day had been no different. Eve always enjoyed playing games with Maddie – she was very bright child, but regrettably, the girl was rather socially awkward. Maddie often found herself bullied by other children her own age, and it seemed impossible for her to keep any human friends. Eve had found herself drawn to Maddie out of pity, but pity soon turned into genuine friendship and they began to spend more and more time together until the day Eve met Maddie's Father, James Tomson. It was the worst interaction with a human Eve has ever experienced.

Had Eve played closer attention to Maddie's mother, Jody, during her visits, she would have realized that there was something terribly wrong with their family unit. Eve had seen marks of the beautiful woman's skin – bruising on her wrists, neck, and sometimes even on her face. Jody would always explain these marks away – "I fell," or "I'm so clumsy. I ran right into the door." Maddie would also mumble similar excuses when Eve inquired about these things from her as well. Eve had been completely ignorant of the truth – in her eyes at the time – humans could do no wrong, and unlike security robots, she didn't have the programming to inform her otherwise. She also hadn't realized that Jody had been taking extreme care to ensure that Mr. Tomson never discovered his daughter had a close friendship with a robot.

The day that James found out about his little girl's attachment to a robot was the day that Eve lost a great majority of her innocence concerning humans. The man had been very drunk when he stormed into his daughter's bedroom; a wild look in his brown eyes when he pinned Eve with a heated glare.

"Father, please!" Maddie was suddenly on her knees with her head bowed. The girl's body was trembling. "Please, she is my only friend!"

It hadn't taken Eve long to figure out that Maddie was referring to her and when she had looked up at James, the man snarled at her like a savage animal. "YOU!" He roared. "DON'T COME NEAR MY FAMILY EVER AGAIN!"

"Why?" Eve was very confused by the unexpected hostility. Why didn't this human like her? Had she done something wrong to him in the past? Eve, at the time, had still been very ignorant when it came to a drunk human's logic – the fact that you can't always reason with a human when they are inebriated still eluded her. She also didn't understand that some humans didn't actually need any kind of motive to dislike you. This would be the first time Eve would experience a human's genuine hate.

"DON'T QUESTION ME, YOU FUCKING MACHINE! JUST DO AS I FUCKING SAY!"

Eve's electronic blue gaze had gone wide with utter shock. "What?" She had been so confused. Why did this man speak so meanly to her?

"Please!" This was Jody. She was behind her husband with a slightly panicked look on her face. "James, please think before you speak. Eve can report –" Jody didn't get to finish her sentence. James had turned around quickly in a blind rage; slapping his wife hard across the face as he spat out, "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, YOU UNGRATEFUL BITCH!" Jody whimpers as she covers her face with her hands in what is clearly a defensive maneuver to protect herself from another hit. Her husband continues to yell, "YOU LET OUR DAUGHTER PLAY WITH A FUCKING MACHINE! ARE YOU TRYING TO CORRUPT HER YOU DUMB BITCH?!"

Eve hadn't understood that man's hostility then. She still didn't truly understand it to this day – no one had truly ever explained it to her – all she knew was that there are some people who despised technology and robots. These people often referred to themselves as Naturalists, but when Eve would inquire as to what this term actually meant – people became evasive. There wasn't even anything in the Axiom archives about this specific term. Eve has been left to wonder what these Naturalists really stood for and what their goals had truly been – perhaps if she had known more about them; she wouldn't have been hurt like she had been hurt that day.

"YOU!" James turned back around to face Eve who was now trembling with shock. She had never seen a human hit another, and she certainly had never seen a human so uncontrolled before. James sends Eve a threatening glare as he growls out, "Listen here you piece of shit. If you ever breathe a word of what you have just seen here, or if you ever come back to see my family again – I'll break you into a thousand pieces."

That was the moment Eve felt something stir inside her programming – some kind of hidden directive that could only surface should it be needed. It allowed her to do something no other robot on the Axiom had ever done before – tell a human, "No." That single word had sent James into a blind rage that has left Eve with scars ever since that day.

Jody was as quick to react as her husband was. She had reached out to grab her husband's arm as he lifted it to strike out at Eve. "Please," Jody cried out alarmed. "Don't make the situation worse!" The words only caused her husband's rage to shift from Eve back towards his wife. He slapped her hard across the face again as he spat out. "I am your husband and you will obey me, _woman!_ Now stay the fuck out of this!" He turns back to Eve with a hiss. "Now for you. I'm going to teach you who really is in charge here!"

Eve found herself instinctively bracing for what was about to come. She honestly didn't know what to expect at the time, but something within her knew it was going to be bad – something primitive and not of her programming – it was almost like an animalistic instinct. A powerful sixth sense that made her feel like prey and made the man before her a hungry wolf. "You are a bad man..." Eve found herself whispering in shock. The realization that humans could be evil had stripped Eve of her remaining innocence.

Eve's fragile whisper, although soft, was still audible to James. "You think I'm a bad man?" He repeats with a strained voice. It was as if being called evil had made him even more crazed. "How could a machine like you even know what evil is? You have no emotions – you can't feel anything! You're not human! You're just a hunk of metal that has been given the ability to talk!"

Eve felt herself tremble as rage ripped through her. She knew she was a robot – that didn't offend her. However, being told that she couldn't comprehend emotion – that she was just a computer program – it hurt a lot. It was also those feelings of hurt that proved the man in front of her was very wrong in his accusations. "I do feel!" She retorts hotly. "It is you who doesn't feel anything. A person who beats their family does not know true love!"

"You little bitch!" James is now approaching Eve very slowly; stalking her like the predator he is. He hisses savagely at her. "I'm going to make you pay for those words by breaking you into a thousand pieces!" Those words were the only warning Eve got before James lunged at her, but unlike James – Eve is agile and easily dodged him. "GOD DAMMIT!" He roars in fury. "GET BACK HERE!"

Eve shook her head side to side in answer as she elevated herself up towards the ceiling of the small bedroom. The position wouldn't protect her from James's grasp – the roof was too low for that. However, it would allow her to move more freely without the hindrance of the furniture blocking her potential escape routes.

"STOP RUNNING, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" James was growing frustrated with Eve's swiftness. He couldn't get close enough to grab her and it pissed him off. "STAY STILL!" He roared at her as he started to grab random things off the bedroom dresser to throw at Eve. If he couldn't catch her with his bare hands perhaps he could knock her to the ground.

Eve continued to dodge everything thrown her way – books, clothes, toys, a chair – a human's reaction time just couldn't compete with a robot's speed. Eve was able to dodge everything tossed in her direction. The small bedroom would eventually resemble the pink Victorian style house Eve would stumble upon hundreds of years later.

"Daddy, stop!" Maddie's distressed cry rings out. It broke the child's heart to see all of her precious things thrown about her bedroom by her father in an attempt to hurt her only friend. "Please, don't do this anymore!" Tears were now streaming down Maddie's face; her eyes are now red and puffy while her nose became runny from all her excessive crying. Eve found herself glancing at the small child momentarily when she heard the distraught begging – it was a fatal mistake on her part. She saw the lamp thrown in her direction too late, and it smashed her hard in the head. Eve's inertial hardware is disrupted as a result, sending her crashing to the ground.

James was upon Eve before she could recover. He had grabbed Eve by her body; lifting her with incredible ease before rushing forward to slam her into a nearby wall. The initial impact hadn't hurt all that terribly – EVE Probes are rather durable despite their fragile appearance. However, the repeated forceful strikes against the wall started to cause Eve's outer protective shell to crumble inwards causing it to eventually touch her inner electronics in an excruciating way.

"LET GO!" Eve cried out in agony as she struggled against the man's grip. In truth, Eve could have gotten away – all she had to do was use her quasar ion cannon against him. It would all be over in a second, but Eve found herself hesitating. Despite this human's cruel behavior – he was still Maddie's father, and no doubt striking the man down in such a way would irrevocably damage the small child's mental health. It also didn't settle well with Eve that it would ultimately mean that she had taken a human's life; no matter how justified she would have been in doing so.

James's assault did not relent – he was enjoying the torture he was inflicting on the machine before him too much to stop. He had completely lost all reason in his drunken rage, and this would ultimately cost him. James's repeated thrusting of Eve's body into the wall was anything but stationary and they both found themselves steadily moving towards the right side of the room. James was to enthralled to notice the control panel that operated the bedroom door – even if he had – he probably wouldn't have expected what was a about to happen anyway.

Eve screamed out in genuine agony when her back collided into the control panel – her outer shell had, at some point, cracked, allowing her current to leak out from her body and merge with the Axiom's tremendous voltage. The surge ripped through Eve's core before jumping to James whose body immediately began to convulse as electricity pulsed through his body.

"DADDY!" Maddie's scream pierced Eve worse that the Axiom's current. The child was watching her father die.

It had only taken five seconds for the disruption of current to be detected by Axiom's Main Computer which sent a signal to trip the massive breaker that supplies power to the lower living quarters of the luxury starliner. Half the ship would plunge into darkness as a result, and no doubt many of the Axiom's passengers were frightened by the unexpected power outage, but these things did not matter to Eve. How could they in light of the things that had just happened?

Eve wanted to apologize to Maddie. The child had used the light from the stars outside the window to guide her to her father's broken body in the obscurity of the bedroom. She would cry over his lifeless form as she shouted, "Daddy! Daddy wake up!" The sight hurt Eve. How could it not? Eve loved Maddie, and the child was suffering over the sudden loss of her father. James's past sins did not matter to a little girl who only wanted the love of her parent.

Eve continued to lay in a crumpled heap near James's feet. She could feel her current – her life force – flickering unstably as she listened to Maddie's whimpering. Eve knew that she had sustained some serious damage – it was very possible that she could permanently shut down from these injuries. If her current diminished enough to stop supplying her hard drive with electricity – she would ultimately die. The situation was comparable to a human's brain being starved of oxygen.

"Maddie! Baby! Can you hear me?" Jody's voice suddenly breaks through the darkness. Eve is surprised by distance of the woman's voice. She hadn't noticed the woman leave while she was struggling to stay out of James's grasp.

"Mommy, I'm in my room!" Maddie calls out to her mother.

"I'm coming, baby!" Her mother responds clearly distressed. Jody can hear the pain in her daughter's cries, and her only thought is to get to her child.

Eve can hear several sets of footsteps rushing down the hallway – bright beams of light are flashing this way and that from the flashlights the humans are carrying as they rush towards their direction. Jody is the first one to enter the bedroom; her gaze is wide as she takes in the sight of her dead husband before she hurries over to her daughter. She then scoops up the poor child before leaving the room as quickly as possible – pushing past the two men that had followed her in.

"Oh my god..." This man's voice was clearly in shock. "James, you poor bastard." Eve could tell by the looks of this man that he must be related to Maddie's father. Their facial features are very similar and they share the same coloring. Eve would later learn the man's name was Jack, and that he was the older brother to James.

"God DAMMIT!" Eve knew that voice. She has heard it every morning since she was activated during the morning announcements – it wasn't normally filled with fury like it is now, but there is no mistaking her Captain's voice. "AUTO!" He shouts at his wrist. There is a small device strapped there – it's a direct line to the Axiom's Autopilot. "Send Go-4 to me immediately. We appear to have a casualty." There is a clipped "Aye, Aye, Captain," from the small device letting the commander know that his orders are being followed.

"What do you think happened?" Jack asks the Captain.

Eve looks up at her commander to see his reaction to Jack's inquiry. The man looks frazzled – he has removed his captain's hat and is running his right hand through his short black hair. "Hell if I know..." he responds with a frustrated voice. "But Jody stated that he was drunk so it could have been anything." It is at about that time that the Captain notices Eve's broken form on the floor near James's feet. "Oh, fuck me…." He says as he makes his way over to Eve.

"Oh damn – I know what happened now!" Jack says rather distraught. "That's the robot that Maddie's been playing with over the last couple of months…" Jack then lets out a pained sigh. "I told Jody it was a bad idea – James is a Naturalist and I knew he would flip his rocker if he discovered his baby girl was playing with a machine."

"Please..." The Captain begins with a severe tone. "Don't call my robotic staff machines." Eve is surprised by her Captain's reprimand of Jake, but then again – maybe she shouldn't have been. Where Auto was coarse and unforgiving; the captain is sweet and yielding. In fact, rumor has it that only Auto has ever experienced the harsh side of the Axiom Commander.

Eve watches as her Captain kneels down next to her; a gentle hand reaching out to caress the side of her head sweetly. "Probe One," He begins kindly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Attack me." Eve gasps at her answer. She hadn't meant to say so little. The original phrase she had desired to say was, "He attacked me, Captain," but instead she was only able to produce the words, "Attack me." This concerned her a lot. It meant that something was malfunctioning somewhere in her flash memory – which wasn't surprising considering the beating she had endured. However, malfunctions in memory chips can't be fixed. If she was too damaged, she would either have her memory replaced, or she would be turned into scrap metal. The prospect terrified her.

"Easy now..." The Captain says soothingly. "Don't be frightened."

Eve is surprised by her commander's tender words. "Captain…" She begins only to be cut off.

"Call me Joshua," The Captain instructs. "Call me by my first name."

"What?" Eve is thoroughly confused. "Not proper."

The Captain shakes his head. "Probe One, you didn't kill James." Eve's confused gaze meets her Commander's soft chocolate eyes. "Your programming gave you the option, but you didn't take it. That makes you worthy of calling me by my first name because I'm honored to have a robot like you under my service."

"How can you say that?" Jack interrupts clearly upset by the Captain's words. "My brother is dead!"

"Yes." The Captain responds sternly. "But not because of Probe One."

"How can you be so sure?" Jake challenges.

"Because," The Captain begins ominously. "Your brother's head is still intact." He then points at Eve's right arm. "There is a nasty little gun hidden in there," He informs. "And I assure you – one shot is all it's going to take and there is no missing the damage. Your brother died of electrocution."

Jack looks at Eve. "Why didn't you kill him then? Why'd you let him beat the shit out of you instead of defending yourself like your programming allowed?" This information didn't sit well with him – he often found himself relating to the Naturalists when it came to robots, but if what the Captain just said was true – it changed everything. It meant that robots could, ultimately, make the choice between right and wrong. To do this, one had to have a conscience and to have a conscience means that one has to have emotion.

Eve answered honestly. "James Maddie's father. Kill him – hurt her." It was a struggle to say that. The current in her memory cells are heavily fluctuating, making it difficult to load her intended speech.

Jack looked shocked by the answer. "You didn't want to hurt Maddie?"

"Negative…" Eve mumbles. "Maddie friend."

"Got dammit, I'm a fool." Jack murmurs more to himself than anyone else. The Captain looks up at him with concern before shifting his gaze to the doorway of the bedroom. Go-4 has finally arrived with several of his best stewards.

The small security robot had to have been shocked by what he saw – any AI would be. However, Go-4 is the king of hiding how he truly feels about a situation - it's what makes him such a good law enforcement robot. Eve also knew that this isn't the first time the security robot had seen a dead human either. Unfortunately, on a ship the size of the Axiom, death is rather common place. There are over three hundred thousand passengers on board and not all of them are young and healthy.

"Go-4," The Captain begins sternly. The small security robot turns towards his captain to await orders. "I want Probe One repaired."

Go-4 whistles _"Affirmative."_ in the robot language as he salutes to inform his captain that he understands the orders he has been given. It is common knowledge that not all robots can speak the human tongue, and therefore they use a series of clicks and beeps to speak to one another. The GO-4 unit was one such robot.

"Go-4," The Captain calls out once more. The security robot pauses and waits to hear what his commander has to say. "I want Probe One repaired." He repeats. Go-4 is slightly confused by the Captain's receptiveness until the man explains himself. "I don't care about the cost – if her repairs are more costly then a new unit – repair her anyway. Probe One will not be decommissioned. Do I make myself clear?"

Go-4 whistles another, _"Affirmative."_ before picking up Eve with his anti-gravity stasis beam. He wasn't going to argue with his captain about this – it meant that Auto wouldn't have to number crunch in a desperate effort to save this poor probe. The autopilot is not a nice robot when he is forced to kill an innocent for the sake of a 'budget.' The saving of a human life has no such limitations, and many robots felt that their own existences shouldn't be measured by price as well, and fortunately for them, their Captain agreed.

BANG!

There is the sudden sound of something heavy plummeting to the ground, followed by a loud crack of glass shattering and spilling across the hardwood floor of the living area. Eve found herself easily spooked by the sudden sound of a weighty object crashing to the ground - it had been a tall floor lamp - the base and neck are made of solid brass with leaf designs etched into the polished surface. The beautiful green and gold patterned glass that made up the shade of the lamp are completely destroyed and small fragments have been strewn all across the floor of the living area. What could have made a sturdy object like that suddenly topple over?

Eve approaches the lamp cautiously - logic tells her that she is alone - Earth has been abandoned for more than seven-hundred years. There are no humans roaming this barren land any longer and the operational robots that had been left behind have ceased to function long ago. So what had caused this ridiculously heavy lamp to fall over without warning? It couldn't have been something like wind - the interior of the home is still solid even after seven centuries of un-occupancy making that an extreme impossibility. So what had happened? What was the catalyst?

"Is someone here?" Eve didn't feel very bright for asking such a question aloud. She knows that she is alone – no one has been on Earth since 2110 except for the Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluators who have been sent on annual missions, right? Eve finds herself unexpectedly looking around the living area for anything that might be out of place - something that could move or – "What wrong with me?" Eve grumbles at her own foolishness. She's acting like a superstitious human - like a ghost is going to come out of thin air and scream, "BOO!" Things like that don't happen.

"GET OUT!" Or maybe they do…

Eve is clearly startled by the unexpected demand. She had jumped - Eve couldn't help it – someone had just _SPOKEN_ to her. "W-who's there?" Yes, Eve is very spooked now - no, she still didn't believe that there is a ghost hunting this place - that's still just a silly human delusion in her mind. However, that didn't mean that she could explain the sudden appearance of an angry feminine voice.

"I SAID GET OUT!"

Eve focuses on her core – it's a simple technique that robots use when trying to rain in their emotions and calm down. It could be compared to a human taking a couple of deep breaths to recollect themselves when anxious. "Forgive my intrusion," Eve begins gently. "I not realize that this home belong to someone."

"Really?" The tone of the voice is clearly sarcastic. "Then why are you still here?"

Rude – that is exactly what Eve considers this – well, she isn't exactly sure what they are yet, but they are definitely rude. "Forgive me," Eve repeats with a slightly strained tone. "I simply looking for something." She knows that she has a bad temper – it's taking everything she's got to keep it under control. Fortunately for the rude one; Eve has many years of practice dealing with smart mouthed service robots on the Axiom. This has given her some tolerance; but it won't last long if such disrespect continues on.

"I'm guessing you're looking for plants then…" Some of the sarcasm has left their tone. However, there is still a heavy sense of suspicion laced within it.

Eve's bright blue gaze goes wide with shock – someone _outside_ of BNL knows her directive. "How you know something like that?" Eve felt that this could be a potentially serious problem – the existence of the EVE Probe's directive isn't exactly common knowledge – sure, it wasn't considered top secret either; but the average BNL citizen wouldn't know about her true purpose. So, how does this person – or perhaps robot – she still isn't sure what they are yet – know about her objective? Are they somehow connected with BNL? Or maybe, just maybe, they are a potential nemesis of her directive. That could be a real possibility – it certainly isn't unheard of. Eve now finds herself more on edge than ever.

The explanation she receives is more benign than expected. "You EVE Probes have been coming to earth for hundreds of years – I've seen the lot of you all lurking about – scanning random things with your vegetation detectors." There is a small pause of consideration before, "But I rarely see one of guys combing through the cities. What is your reasoning for coming here?"

That was a good question – one that would cause suspicion if left unanswered. Eve simply states, "Curiosity." It's the truth – she had wanted to explore an urban area this year – to take a gamble on a new, and unexplored area. The rural landscapes she has investigated year after year have always been unfruitful. It was truly upsetting to her resolve – a change of pace was required to keep her momentum up.

"I'll buy that." There is another pause of consideration. "However that doesn't explain why you come inside my home. Surely you have enough sense to know that a plant wouldn't grow indoors without intervention."

Eve needs to think about that one – what has been stated is true – this is no obvious reason for Eve to enter into this house. As an EVE Probe, the understood the requirements needed for vegetation to grow. So how should she answer? "Curiosity," She repeats. "The door was open. That unusual." Honesty, Eve discovered through the years, is usually the best option.

"So you were being nosy?"

Ouch – that accusation hurt. "Yes…" Eve grudgingly admits. Dislike didn't make it any less true. Eve was indeed, being nosy.

"Honest – I like that."

"Who are you?" Eve suddenly asks. She was growing tired of speaking to the unknown.

There is a long silence – so long in fact, that Eve begins to wonder if she had asked this particular question to soon. However, a loud nervous sigh rings out before, "I am the guardian of this house." The answer wasn't as straight forward as Eve would have liked. Eve states plainly, "A security system, then?"

"NO!" The response is instant and forceful.

Eve states firmly, "Enlighten me then. What you exactly?"

There is a strained hush that follows Eve's inquiry – it's obvious that the question is being reflected upon very seriously. Then there is an unconfident hushed response, "I'm a PCR. My creature called me Flint."

PCR – Personally Crafted Robot – a machine that has been constructed by someone outside of BNL's controlled network. In essence, any AI that was built to satisfy someone's personal desire – usually, these types of machines filled the role of a simple companion – like a low maintenance pet or friend. These sorts of creations were acceptable to BNL. It wasn't until humans began to exploit the technology for more nefarious desires that the PCRs were regarded as a type of threat. The general population – this included robots created by BNL – started to develop an unfounded fear and prejudice against all PCR. This would explain why _Flint_ had chosen to remain hidden while she interrogated Eve, whom she regarded as a potentially dangerous intruder. It's not all that uncommon for PCRs to be hunted by certain BNL AI.

"I not hunter," Eve clarifies. "I only looking for plants."

"How can I be sure of that?"

It is a fair question. "I cannot prove my directive," Eve states truthfully. "Nor can you prove you not dangerous yourself." She pauses to let Flint consider her words. Eve then utters gently, "We must both take leap of faith." And that is exactly what of this situation this is – a risk. There is no certainty to either side that the other one is who they claim to be.

"You won't hurt me?" There is a hint of insecurity in Flint's tone. She sounds extremely nervous about the prospect of exposing herself.

"You nothing to fear."

"Ok, I'll come out." Flint slowly emerges from her hiding spot – she is incredibly tiny – no larger than tea cup. She was able to easily conceal herself under a large dictionary that is leaning cumbersomely against another massive book at the top of an old mantelpiece. Flint had been camouflaging herself in the dark shadows of the underside of the hardcovers. 'It truly is a good hiding spot,' Eve thought to herself. It allowed Flint to easily investigate her surroundings without openly exposing herself to potential enemies.

Eve is mildly surprised by what she sees – Flint's design is unlike anything she has ever encountered before – an intricate design that has been crafted to resemble the form of a hummingbird. Flint is, without a doubt, a true master piece of robotic engineering. Whoever crafted the little avian robot had spent countless weeks – no months – carving each elaborate detail into Flint's delicate body. There are feathers – each undoubtedly sculpted by hand before interlaid in realistic patterns that resemble a genuine bird's plumage. She has wings – the material used is translucent and light – the feathers looking almost like gossamer dragonfly annexes, but so much more with beautiful hues of emerald swirled throughout. The wings fold and unfold authentically, and when Flint jumps into the air – her flight hums with the rapid succession of circular wing beats. As for Flint's eyes – they are miraculous – an emerald iris with a realistic dilating pupil. Yes, whoever created this particular robot had put more love into her design than imaginable; making something that is virtually unparalleled to anything Eve has yet to see.

"You so beautiful," Eve says with a slightly dreamy tone. She then snaps out of her daze when she realizes that she has said that embarrassing statement outload. "I mean – uh – why you here alone?" Eve is attempting to alter her words in a less humiliating way. "Why your creator leave you behind? They obviously spent lots of time on you…" Eve trails off. She is uncertain on how she should to continue.

Flint is amused by Eve's distress. "Your complement has warmed my core." There is a slight hint of teasing within her tone.

"Don't joke," Eve retorts half-heartedly. She isn't to upset by the harassment – on the contrary – it seemed to relieve some of the uncertainty that still lingered between them. "I not amused by such things."

"Forgive me," Flint replies playfully. She doesn't seem to take Eve's rebuke seriously. "I do like to clown around when I can. I often poke fun of others good-naturedly."

Eve lets out a slightly exasperated sigh. Flint's mannerisms will take some getting used too. 'Well, at least she is upfront about it,' Eve thinks to herself. However, now is not the time for austere chit-chat. There are more important topics that need to be discussed. "So, why you here alone?" That particular question was one that Eve wanted answered before all others. It's not plausible to believe that a robot like Flint – especially one with such a delicate design as her – could remain unblemished for hundreds of years on a planet with such hostile environments. Flint's presence on Earth has been short – a year, if that.

"I'm following a directive," Flint answers. "I've been charged with the protection of a young woman – Eevee – that's her name. I'm supposed to ensure her safety."

Eve just stares at Flint with wide blue eyes. This little avian robot couldn't be serious, could she? "What?" It's all Eve could manage to say in her shock.

Flint says, "It's a strange directive, I know; but I take it very seriously."

Eve isn't slow – she knows for a fact that she isn't. However, she is having a hard time understanding what she is being said – not that the words themselves are hard to understand – it's just hard to believe. Why would a human be here, on Earth? It didn't make sense. "You talking about real human?"

"Yes."

This just seems so unfathomable. "How? Why?" Eve is now clearly distraught. How the hell is she supposed to handle this? A human on Earth – it sounds stupidly impossible – and yet, something inside her says, _'don't dismiss this possibility. What if it's true?'_ Eve knows she is going to have to investigate this further.

Flint ponders the questions she has been asked. "I don't really know the answers that you're seeking."

"Classified?" Eve inquires.

"No," Flint responds. "Nothing about her is classified as far as I know. I just don't have the information you seek."

"Oh." Eve feels disappointed. "Did you not ask Eevee? Surely she would know?"

"Eevee is currently unable to speak."

"Why?"

"Because, she is frozen in time."

"Ah." Now Eve understood. A human that has been frozen – it's an incredible thing – not because of the frozen part, but because this human could be from a time before BNL even existed. How amazing would it be to speak to someone like that? "Can I see her?" Eve's curiosity is sparked. She really wants to see this young woman.

"I don't really see any harm in it," Flint answers.

"Then show me, please."

"Ok, but it will take us about an hour to get there," Flint explains. "She is located in the southern district of Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles?" Eve repeats.

"It's the name of the city we are in."

"Oh?" Eve finds herself looking out one of the many living room windows. She can see the impressive urban landscape sprawled out before her. Los Angeles – it was once known as the city of angles at one point in time – a place of dreams and celebrities. Now, it's nothing more than ruins of a once great metropolis.

"Would you like to go now?" Flint asks.

"Yes." Eve knows there is no point in waiting.

"Then let us be off."

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**End Chapter One**

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**Author's Note: Well there you have it, the first Chapter. I hope everyone finds my story interesting. Please feel free to drop a review if you like – they really help to inspire me. **

**Edited: June 23, 2016**


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